Odisha govt’s pending telephone bills run into crores

The Odisha government has failed to clear its outstanding telephone bills despite the Ministry of Communications sending multiple reminder letters, including three in recent months by Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia.

As of the end of 2025, various State government departments together owed ₹28.54 crore in unpaid telephone dues to public sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), which is already under financial stress.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Mr. Scindia said, “BSNL plays a vital role in providing telecom services across the country, especially in rural and remote areas. It supports key government departments, including the armed forces, and serves numerous banks and institutions.”

“With its wide network and strong presence, BSNL remains a reliable and trusted service provider for delivering citizen-centric services. Given BSNL’s financial stress, the Government of India has approved revival packages in 2019, 2022 and 2023 to support its viability and competitiveness,” he pointed out.

“Despite this, the company needs steady cash flows for routine operations and modernization of its telecom infrastructure. As on December 31, 2025, ₹28.54 crores remains outstanding from departments and organizations under the State of Odisha,” mentioned the Union Minister.

Stating that Telecommunication Secretary had already requested early clearance of these dues and considering BSNL’s critical role in providing secure and reliable telecommunications, Mr. Scindia said, timely payment of these dues is essential to sustain its operations and service quality.

He requested Mr. Majhi to issue necessary instructions to the concerned departments and organizations to expedite the settlement of all outstanding dues to BSNL at the earliest.

The Department of Information and Public Relations has the highest unpaid dues at ₹8.59 crore, followed by the Law Department with outstanding bills of ₹4.42 crore. Other departments with arrears exceeding ₹1 crore include Education, Finance, Health and Family Welfare, Home, and Rural Development.

Following Mr. Scindia’s reminder in November, several departments reduced their pending dues, with the Finance and Information and Public Relations departments paying a sizeable portion of their bills. However, outstanding telephone dues continue to be a cause for concern. As of May 2025, Odisha’s total unpaid telephone bills stood at around ₹80 crore.